Paul Brasch: A To Z Of Superheroes

Returning with his fifth one-man show, local funny man Paul Brasch is set to make his second appearance at the Brisbane Comedy Festival.

This time he’s going to school us on the A to Z of superheroes. In 60 minutes, Paul will give you the rundown of 26 superheroes; from Astro Boy to Xena and everything between — some you may not be aware are actually superheroes.

“I’ve grown up with comic book heroes and Superman [type] heroes all my life and I still read comic books; I guess I'm a kid that never grew up. [I wanted to] go through the A-Z of my favourite superheroes, one after the other — some of them are not what you’d expect. Like Astro Boy! I didn’t just want to do guys in tights for the whole show.

“It’s something I've always wanted to do and I was fascinated that no one ever done it, I thought anyone would have come across with that idea but I looked back and no one’s done that, so I thought ‘Great, I'll do it’.”

But ask Paul for his favourite comic book hero, and the answer is emphatic: Batman. “It seems to be a big thing these days that everyone is into Batman. But I liked Batman when no one else liked him. I always liked Batman because he was always slightly off, like at any minute he could possibly kill someone even though superheroes don’t do that ... He's got all the toys and he has got the utility belt and he's got the costume, and he's scary and he comes after you in a dark alley.”

With a career spanning 17 years, Paul says that Brisbane is in for a real treat at this year’s Festival. “I love the fact that Brisbane has a comedy festival, I think it’s long overdue. [The Powerhouse] guys have had it going for five years and I think they're doing a fantastic job. [The comedians are] all working to do the best possible shows, and I think it’s great to see that kind of passion — different to the club circuit up here. [Plus] it's a curator’s festival, so you’re invited to perform in it; you have to have some kind of pedigree in comedy. It's not like a free-for-all like Melbourne is.”